Skin Issues and Weight Loss

I’ve received a lot of questions concerning what happens to the extra skin on your body when you lose a large amount of weight. (Including a good question last Friday.)

It’s funny, because when I lost 150 pounds, this wasn’t even a concern of mine. I just knew that I wanted to:

Stop watching the nurse move the scale clunker to the 300 pound mark

Stop shopping in Plus Size stores such as Lane Bryant or Catherine’s Stout Shoppe (that was really what it was called)

Get on with living my life at a healthy weight

What would happen with my skin just didn’t come into play in the beginning of my journey. In 2012, with the plethora of weight loss television specials and fascinating shows that detail obese people having plastic surgery after losing weight, the issues of excess skin after weight loss is well publicized and often discussed.

I know I write candidly about a variety of topics, but I am a bit reticent to write in detail about my physical appearance. I thought I would just share what I feel comfortable in sharing. When I was 300 pounds. I was unfit, morbidly obese, felt unattractive, and had extremely low self-esteem. As my weight ballooned, the bad feelings I had about my physical appearance increased. When I saw myself in this picture I realized what the weight had done to my legs. You may be different than I am, but sometimes I can look in the mirror without really seeing what I look like.

I share this picture so you can see that moving away from obesity was my primary goal. I did not want to look like this or feel like this any longer.

When I got serious about my weight loss and finally saw the scale moving in the right direction I was just so ecstatic to see numerical results that at first I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the physical details of weight loss. The first 50 pounds didn’t make a lot of difference in my physical appearance, but by 100 pounds everyone could see that something good was happening. By the time I had lost all my weight and could wear a size 6 in most clothes, the change was dramatic.

I felt great both physically and emotionally for the first time in years. I also realized there were some unflattering physical consequences to large weight loss. Where my stomach, legs and arms had previously been distended with fat, there was now some excess skin. Over a period of time, some of this firmed up with concentrated cardio and weight training but only to a certain point. After fourteen years and four more babies, it is as good as its going to get.

Does it bother me? A bit. Would I not have lost the weight had I known about the excess skin? No.

It doesn’t bother me that much, and the benefits of not weighing 300 pounds certainly outweigh any cosmetic issues. The issues I have are minor compared with the issues I had as an overweight person. For the most part, clothing hides the problem areas and that’s what is important to me. People ask me if I will have plastic surgery to correct these issues. Even if I could afford it, I’m not sure what I would do. The risk of plastic surgery is real and the skin issues are just cosmetic.

That being said, there are people who have lost hundreds and hundreds of pounds through surgery or diets. Their skin may not rebound to the point where they can move easily or even bathe properly. In those cases, plastic surgery is true physical necessity, not just an option as in my situation.

The skin is not attractive externally, but in some ways it reminds me of where I was and where I never want to go again. Don’t be frightened by the prospect of excess skin if you have a large amount of weight to lose. If the skin bothers you, cosmetic surgery is an option that although pricey-offers very nice results.

Remember that along our journey to health there are bound to be hills and valleys. As you travel your road, don’t concentrate on what may be a valley, but rather concentrate on how you will feel when you stand on top of the mountain, tall and proud of what you have accomplished.

How do you feel about excess skin after weight loss? Does it bother you or is it not an issue? Diane

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75 thoughts on “Skin Issues and Weight Loss”

Hmmm, well Diane, after a lot of weight lost, yes my excess skin does bother me – especially on the tummy and tops of legs. Funnily enough, the batwings don’t phase me much. But the ‘bother’ is only really as an ‘I wish it wasn’t so’ sort of thing.

Like you, though, it stands as a reminder of what I had done to myself with my obesity and why I must stay vigilant – I can never go back there. That means that, even should I come into the money one day, I probably wouldn’t address the excess skin by surgery. I’m also a bit scared to go under anaesthetic for something which isn’t actually essential.

Clothes hide the more unsightly bits (for the most part) and although I won’t be buying a bikini ever again I’m fairly comfortable with the way I look. I still think the biggest benefit of losing the weight has been the improvement to my health and the fact that I can enjoy life so much more nowadays. That is a treasure beyond price.

That’s me too. I wish it wasn’t there but I would not go back to living one single day as a morbidly obese person to get rid of the skin. After all, the skin was there when I was morbidly obese, it just wasn’t loose because the fat filled it up.

Clothes do a wonderful job of hiding most of these issues. That’s why I believe it is so important to have well-fitted clothes that accentuate the positive and hide the less positive. Congratulations on your weight loss!

I maxed out@ 320 pounds had bariatric surgery over 13 years ago……yo yo yo’d and the lightest I got was about 200 lbs. I started a job that was very physically demanding and went from 236lb to 140 lbs OMG awesome , the lightest I’ve ever been, I became very I’ll in 2014 and lost another 20…..I am stoked to wear a size 4 on a 5’7′ frame……however I soon after injured my back creating intense pain, now preventing myself from getting the exercise I need , and let’s face it skin can only snap back very little no matter what work out you choose. I love myself in clothing, however no longer wear sleeveless or short sleeve shirts and will never wear shorts again as my skin now looks like used crepe paper, I’m moving to the gulf coast to be with my partner and am terrified to let him see me naked or wear a bathing suite…….My deflection to this has always been “Once you open this package, you gonna ask for a receipt” I exfoliate every shower and use hydrating self tanning lotion and still no difference……maybe duck tape will help…..LOL. After all the hard work I’ve put in and now I’m embarrassed to enjoy it .Funny thing….when I was 100lbs heavier I wore all the things then that I refuse to wear now………

When I lost weight in my 30’s my skin tightened right up with weight lifting. Now at 47 I have lost just 10 more pounds and I was shocked to see my skin be wrinkly and that doesn’t respond to weight lifting! Sigh!! I know the only way I’ll ever have flat abs again is with surgery and so far it doesn’t bother me enough to make the money to pay for the surgery and endure the surgery and recovery.
We all have scars just from living.

I too lost the weight in my 30’s, but did have the four other children in my late 30’s and early 40’s. I’m sure that contributes to the abdominal skin issues. We do have scars from living – some are visible and some are not.

As I inch close and close my 100 pound weight loss goal, I’m definitely starting to see some loose skin, and yeah it’s not fun, but it’s not deterring me from being healthy. I’m excited to find out what I look like at a healthy weight, whether that includes loose skin or not. Thank you for being honest…I know it’s something I’ll inevitably face and hearing others talk about it is comforting.

In all honesty, I am worried about the excess skin. That isn’t going to cause me to stop losing weight though. Like you said, it’s cosmetic. You can hide excess skin with clothing. You can’t hide being obese, having no energy, and feeling like crap. I have been over 300 pounds for 10 years. It would be naive to think that damage hasn’t been done. I can only hope that mine isn’t serious enough to be surgically removed because I know I will never be able to afford it.

I can’t afford it either Mary Ellen. I can’t promise you that it won’t bother you, but I can promise you that you will not believe how much better you feel when the excess weight is gone and you are at a healthy weight. Stay strong and focus on what’s most important. Getting to a healthy weight and staying there.

I like what you said about the benefits of losing weight far outweigh the loose skin. My arms have become very “flabby” and I am so embarassed of it. I hope that it goes away, but I also know I should be doing more arm work. But, I’m just glad I’m not 288 lbs anymore!

I’m glad you are not 288 pounds anymore either! The arms will get stronger and more toned, but sadly, the extra skin won’t just magically go back into place. As you said though – much better to carry a few inches on your arms than 100’s of extra pounds on your body.

This is, hands down, the best post I have ever read here. Extremely relevant. In my business this is always a concern wor weight-loss clients. I am always quick to remind them, have that extra skin/tissue is a good problem to have.

I have not lost much weight in comparison, only a little more than 30lbs, and I do not have much more to lose. Still some point last fall I noticed that my skin was behaving weird, and I followed some piece of advice my sister had given me: Wild rose oil. It is found in many bodylotions in the “Mommy Aisle” at the drug store, and it helped repair my skin to a point where it is once more as firm as at the beginning. It possibly won’t make anyone look like a 20-year-old anorexic model, but it may help firm up your skin to a degree.

Extra skin or excess pounds – I cannot imagine using the excuse of ugly as an excuse to hold on to uglier, obese pounds. It took me several years to lose 220 pounds naturally – without diets or exercise. I worked out for much of that time. No one can be five foot four and lose 200 pounds and not have excess skin, no matter what age, (I lost it in my 40s) no matter what skin type., 220 pounds of excess weight will damage the structure of the skin. It is damaged by the weight gain, not by the weight loss. It just shows with weight loss, the damage is already there.
Yes, I would have surgery if I had the money. I would have my upper arms done, my lower body, with abdomen anchor and I would have my thighs done. None of these is ‘purely cosmetic.’ A face lift is cosmetic. A thigh lift would take stress of the knees. a lower body lift would remove hanging stress from the back and abdomen. I disguise the arms in winter but in summer they are out there and they are ugly. That is a cosmetic thing but it is also the least dangerous of all the procedures and it is the one I would get first if I had the resources to save for it today.

I didn’t use it as an excuse because I honestly didn’t know it would happen. Probably because the publicity about large weight loss was far less back in the ’90s than it is now.

Great point about this type of surgery not being solely cosmetic. When I watch the surgery shows, the improved mobility the patients have after getting the extra skin removed is amazing. And of course they look fabulous! I still do wear sleeveless tops, but tend to keep my arms down.

Whenever I speak in groups, people always ask about skin. I hold up my arm and explain that I work out with weights, but that there is some skin that just won’t go away.

I get this question too Diane even though I was not as heavy as you.. it is something to be discussed & weighing all the options. I love your attitude! For some, it may be a necessity.

I got a question the other day from a gal about losing her boobs with weight loss.. of course I told her the truth & then asked if being healthy or having bigger boobs was more important… health was the answer! 🙂

I would have a tummy tuck. I have done my research and am okay with the procedure and think I would have it done if I could afford it. For me, walking miles every day, I think how much effecient I could be without skin. Yep, I would do it.

I have excess skin at my tummy, too, but I think it was mostly from having two kids 17 months apart after I turned 30. The extra weight I gained within a few years of that didn’t help, either. Now I have stretch marks and squishy skin, so bikinis are definitley out for me. It wasn’t like I was wearing them beforehand anyways! I try to lotion up my tum as much as possible. I figure it can’t hurt, right?? Would I like a tummy tuck? Sure…but not that badly. There are other things I’d rather spend the money on. Clothes can pretty much disguise it year round, since I am at a healthy weight now.

I agree with the skin around the tummy likely being from pregnancies so close together. I’m not a bikini person nor have I ever been! Lotion can’t hurt and you look wonderful in all those gorgeous clothes that you make!

I still have some belly fat to lose so I don’t know if I have excess skin there, as well. Either way, I’ve known all along it might be there when I hit goal weight but it doesn’t bother me too much. I feel like my body looks pretty darned good for all it’s been through!

I love how you have written about this topic because these days I’m struggling with big regret about why on earth did I ever let me go and got obese? Because of how ugly the loose skin are on my body presently but just like you, I realise that being smaller, healthier and fit is much more better than when I was obese and with this, I will not go back being obese.
But yes, the loose skin do bother me but luckily clothes hide it and you writing about it and saying you have it too, let me not feel alone anymore.

You have done such a great job on your weight loss and are maintaining now! I’d encourage you to try and think about how great it was that you lost the weight rather than dwell on the fact that you were temporarily obese. Instead of staying at that unhealthy weight you did something about it. That is something to celebrate!

I would have the skin tighten underneath the belly button, if I could afford it. There is a laser procedure they are doing (I saw it on Dr. Oz). I would consider that because, there is no downtime. I would not have anything done, that’s going to keep me from exercising a month or two.

I’m almost down 30 lbs and have about 70 lbs to go. I can already see the start of excess skin in the armpit area. My arms and stomach will be my trouble areas for excess skin. There’s just so many stretchmarks. I most definitely consider getting the skin removed. But I’ll require myself to stay at my goal weight for an extended time and do my research.

Good idea to commit to maintaining for a good while before you have the surgery. That way your skin can recover and you will be able to see exactly what bothers you. You are already a 1/3 of the way to your goal. Congratulations!!

The issue of loose skin was never on my radar as I lost the weight. Partly because I just didn’t know about it and partly because I started losing weight at 26–fairly young and I figured my skin would bounce back.

After losing 110 pounds, I do have some loose skin but it’s not enough to really worry about it. Like you, it’s pretty hidden under clothes. The skin issues I have are my stomach and under arms. I lift weights and workout a lot and have muscle definition but will probably always have some loose skin. Being a successful weight loss maintainer is much more important to me than what my stomach looks like without a shirt on.

Please note that surgery is not the only solution for skin tightening. There are other options available. I work for Viora that has a wonderful success rate in working with excess skin. You can visit http://www.vioramed.com/refit/ to see the effects and improvements. It’s a non-invasive solution, with no down-time and no anesthesia needed. If you’re interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

I’ve been waiting for this post! I’m 60 and have lost 75 pounds (about 50 left). Yes, my stomach hangs and sometimes I could hear it flapping as I walk. Not so much anymore. Yes, my arms have wings (but so do a lot of women who have been thin forever). And yes, my neck will never be the same. (That’s probably the one that bothers me the most since it’s right there in front of me.) But- I look and feel so much better than I did 75 pounds ago and I think that because I’m losing the weight so slowly (3-4 pounds a month) it probably won’t get much worse. And I can live with that.

Congratulations on losing 75 pounds already. That is wonderful. You have a terrific attitude and are such a great example to other women who say you cannot lose weight after age 50. I met a woman at the Dr. Oz show who lost over 100 pounds when she was 70 and had kept it off for over 8 years.

I don’t have much of a loose skin issue, but I only dropped a bit over 60 pounds so it’s going to be less obvious. I do notice my stomach is baggier than it was, but after two pregnancies it’s hard to say which distension caused it.

All I’d really like to do is get a neck lift (my neck also got hit a bit, although part of that is just aging and genetics) and potentially a little lipo in the thighs, where I just won’t lose the weight. But I doubt I’ll do either. The financial costs of cosmetic surgery of any kind aren’t minimal, and the potential for complications, be they cosmetic or life-threatening, isn’t something to be sneezed at .

So for now I figure I’m just going to stick it out. I am where I am, and it’s fine.

I agree with you about the pregnancies. I had four more after I lost the weight so I am SURE that those pregnancies also contribute to my stomach issues. If I could wave a magic wand and fix it all without surgery I probably would, but the financial concerns and risks make it a no for me.

And, congratulations on 60 pounds gone. That is a huge accomplishment.

Since I am not even close to my goal weight, I have no idea how I will feel about excess skin when I get there, but like you, I don’t have extra money for such a thing, so I will probably just not worry about it. I will just keep moving and hope for the best!

My loose skin post large weight loss is pretty nasty. I hate it. But I hated the comorbidities and mobility issues at morbid obesity WORSE, much worse. I can dance and go out and wear dresses and feel like an attractive woman again. I’m still overweight, and I could use to lose 20 to 25 more, but yes, I worry about MORe hanging skin. It was a mental block when I was obese–the loose skin. I’d seen the photos and found them horrifying.

But, I will tell folks, I’d rather have this ugly loose skin than be dying with diabetes unable to walk up stairs.

Easy choice.

And I don’t plan on having surgery…and have discussed it with hubby. If it bothers HIM, I will. But he’s fine. 😀 He calls me beautiful and still jumps me with ardor, so why bother with surgery. No one else needs to see me naked and I swim with shorts to cover the thighs and just accept the upper arm ickiness as part of the price I pay for damaging my body. The reminder of my sins.

I feel that most people are never satisfied, including myself. We were not happy before we lost the weight, when we loose the weight we find something else to complain about. I thank God for where I am today. And if I never have anything done, I will still love myself for where I am today.

I have some skin that’s not as firm as I’d like after my 100 lb loss, but ya know what? It doesn’t keep me from swimming, biking, running, weight training, being active, enjoying life, not hurting as soon as I get out of bed and wishing I didn’t have to move, and the like. 🙂 It is soooo not a reason to not lose weight :P.

I don’t have particularly elastic skin, and so I’m expecting crepey, loose skin when I hit goal. So?! Doesn’t make a bit of difference to me! I am healthier, happier, and look excellent in clothes. I couldn’t say that at 260+ pounds or so!

I’m always a bit amazed when I hear people using loose skin as a reason to not lose weight, as though fat filled skin and organs are so much better? I’m grateful my husband finds me beautiful regardless, that takes a lot of the pressure off me to worry about anything but my health when it comes to weightloss. Loose skin isn’t great, sure, but it can be improved upon and hidden. Fat? Not so much!

You have a great attitude toward this Taryl. I wonder if people who say they don’t want to lose weight because of the possible skin issues are just not ready to deal with their weight yet and that is an excuse they use.

I think you hit the nail on the head. When people have excuses, particularly flimsy and superficial ones like ‘no time to measure food’ and ‘loose skin is ugly!’, I translate that to mean that they aren’t ready yet, and those reasons likely aren’t the real basis, either.

When I was finally ready to try dieting and lose my weight, it didn’t even occur to me I might have issues in the losing – I just kept picturing goal as so much better than where I was, then. And even still on my journey, that’s true. SUCH big improvements, in the going.

I’ve never thought about it but I guess that’s a serious drawback to being overweight in the first place. I am with you, cosmetic surgery is something I would never consider. Major surgery comes with all sorts of risks, and being a mother, it’s definitely not worth it to put my life at risk when I have young kids to raise.

That’s always been my major reason for saying no (and the cash flow issue). As a mom to so many kids, the idea of risking my life for surgery that I do not absolutely need has always stopped me from even seriously pursing the idea of surgery. I know others feel differently, but I am a total fraidy cat when it comes to medical procedures. I’m sure that plays a role in my decision as well. 🙂

This is a very relevant post for so many who have lost a good deal of weight and as a result, have to deal with excess skin. I’m not sure how I will feel once I reach my goal, but I do know that the risks of surgery do bother me. Also, there is not contest between being overweight and having some hanging skin. You have a very reasonable attitude toward this issue. I appreciate your honesty and genuine thoughts.

I agree with you that there is no contest or comparison between being overweight or having some extra skin. When I was 305 pounds I couldn’t have walked a 5K because of my weight and lack of energy. Now I can run easily – the extra skin doesn’t stop me at all. But as I said in the post, there are definitely some cases where the skin can hinder movement, etc.

Ugh. I think that I am still in a place of feeling shame for what I’ve done~that I’m so fat. And loose skin is the idea that it can never be fully erased! I’m still not wanting old high school friends to even know I’m obese at all…

I saw a Dr. Phil show years ago with a woman who felt so unattractive that she said she would never have lost the weight if she had known that her loose skin would be so ugly. I want to lose the weight anyway, but yes, I am concerned. I can’t imagine the belly hang I’m going to have! YUCK! But surgery is serious business, and I have neither insurance nor money~LOL! If it were possible, I would never consider it until I had remained at goal weight at least a year to give my skin every opportunity to do naturally what it will.

I know it can be such an emotional struggle to think about the consequences of our weight problems. I still have guilt over what I did to myself. I found that the skin improved a bit over time, but it is still an issue. However, clothes conceal those things that concern me most and I’m okay with that. Surgery is expensive. What happened to me was that after I had been at my goal weight for a long time, the skin issues became less of a worry. Why? Because my confidence had improved so much because of my improved overall appearance, energy level, and the satisfaction of knowing what I had accomplished. Don’t let the possibility of loose skin derail you. Do this because you know how much better you will feel about yourself once you are at a healthy weight.

I like your balanced view of this subject, Diane. I don’t really mind if people have surgery or not. I’m not at goal yet, but I can see that I might want to get rid of the excess skin for vain reasons only. However, since I am pretty modest in my clothing no one will ever see much of the saggy skin and I know I’ll be so glad in my smaller sizes that hopefully I won’t be so concerned with the saggy stuff. My husband would be the only one seeing it and he’s always loved me as I am, and that’s all that matters. 🙂

I hadn’t thought of seeing the excess skin as a reminder of where I never want to go back to. I’m going to keep that in mind as I get closer to my goal.

Because my gain isn’t that great, I don’t expect to have any skin issues. But I do wonder about whether the whole skin issue is an unconscious weight loss saboteur for a lot of people. I think that was an issue for my ex – she had weight loss surgery and lost quite a bit – but then she started to worry about the skin issue (I worried too, about her operations) and subsequently gained about 20kg.

This blog entry is very timely. I have lost 12lbs toward my goal of 20lbs and have noticed the wrinkly skin in my abs area which is where most of the weight was/is. Now in my 60’s I am thinking there isn’t much I can do but then I also didn’t think that in my 60’s I could lose weight, do some jogging, etc. I will try my best to work on toning up that area and if it doesn’t work then I gave it my best shot. Continued health and well being is more important than saggy skin at least to me.

Great topic – so glad you addressed it! I don’t lose sleep over this or anything, but it definitely does enter my mind. I’m 28, have about 100 pounds, and have been overweight since I was about 16, so that’s a long time to be carrying this excess weight. I do worry that my skin won’t go back the way it was. I also already have tons of stretch marks all over me (and I haven’t even had kids yet). It would never stop me from trying to lose weight, but it does seem a shame after going through so much intense effort to lose and maintain weight, to still have a lot of excess skin. Like you, however, I just absolutely hate the idea of surgery. It’s so drastic, the recovery is painful and difficult. There is risk of infection, complications, and even death. My excess skin would have to be pretty extreme for me to consider that. However, I absolutely understand why someone would choose that and would completely that option. I feel if you’ve worked hard enough to lose all that weight, you absolutely deserve to look your best even if that means surgery.

I just started my journey in losing weight. I am 35 yrs old with 5 children. I’m 5 feet even and I started at 267 lbs. In less than a month I have lost 17 lbs. I can already see my tummy hanging really low, and I’ll have to admit it really bothers me. I’m in for a long run, I want to loose 130 lbs. But I’m scared of what my body will look like at the end.

I know this is years later, but I came across this while looking up ways to help prevent loose skin while losing weight. I’m about to turn 25 in 3 weeks, and I’ve got PCOS. I already had kidney stones 3 times, a surgery to remove the stones once, a surgery to remove a tumor I’ve had in my cervix, and a surgery to remove my gallbladder because of horrible gallstones. I’ve always been confident in my weight and never bothered to hide it or let it get to me, but I decided to lose weight because of my health issues and because I could see the fear in my brother’s eyes every time I was being rushed to the hospital because of pains again. He has a daughter and he wants her to know her aunty; it was to the point he was scared I’d get sick and die from being so overweight, so I decided to lose weight and become healthier. Back in April I started at 259, and now in August I’m down to 234. My goal is to lose at least 100, and so far I’m down by 25 so I’m happy with that. But lately I’ve noticed my arms and thighs are getting kind of flabby and jiggly, and I was reading through so many articles online that had me so discouraged to lose anymore weight or to pause and slow down the process for a bit, but your article was the first I’ve come across that has me actually still eager to lose more weight – to know that how you look in the end isn’t the main goal but more of being healthier and losing the weight to “feel” better more so than to “look” better! I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this!

As a current morbidly obese person I have no problems accepting any flappy flaps where ever they may fall. It is all about health for me, it is just one of those consequences I will have to accept for the lifestyle I led. I’ll take daily strapping into spanx to contain skin over not being able to breathe after 2 flights of stairs any day. Infact, I may even be a little proud. My husband wont mind, so neither will I. 🙂